David Lammy and Andrew Griffith in the spotlight today at PMQspublished at 11:01 GMT
Joshua Nevett
Reporting from the House of Commons
It’s almost Wednesday lunchtime, which usually means it’s time for PMQs (aka Prime Minister’s Questions).
But with Keir Starmer off to China, David Lammy will be covering for him at DPMQs (aka Deputy Prime Minister’s Questions).
By convention, a stand-in takes the place of the opposition leader if the prime minister is away.
Today, Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith will fill in for Kemi Badenoch and take the lead in peppering Lammy with questions from across the dispatch box.
There are plenty of issues to get stuck into.
The prime minister’s trip to China, which the Conservatives have criticised, with Badenoch accusing Starmer of being “in hock” to the country, could feature.
Griffith may press Lammy on business rates, after the Tories called the government’s discount for pubs and music venues a “sticking plaster”.
Equally, the row over the deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands could come up. The Tories have been calling for the deal to be scrapped after it was criticised by US President Donald Trump.
Also, given Lammy is the justice secretary, plans to limit jury trials in England and Wales to reduce court backlogs could be raised by the Conservatives or Labour MPs, particularly Karl Turner, who has urged the government to U-turn on the proposals.
We’ll get you up to speed on the past week in politics as we build up to PMQs at 12:00 – which you can Watch live at the top of the page.
